Alert

Beware of Phone Scams

It is always good to be aware of scams that are surfacing around the country. Especially be aware of phone scams targeting the fear of the IRS.

Scammers from California are calling residents around the country at home or work and identifying themselves as the IRS, Attorney General or Department of Motor Vehicles. The scammer states that there is an outstanding tax bill and if the bill is not paid by the end of the day, the sheriff will come to your home or office. The caller then instructs the victim to go to CVS, Rite Aid or Wall Greens and purchase Green Dot, Net Spend or another type of cash card and then to submit the cash card number back to the caller.

The scammers obtain lien information, which are public, from county records, so many times the victim has had contact with the IRS recently, which makes the caller more believable. The callers are very aggressive and very demanding and threatening while stating the sheriff is on the way to make an arrest.

Many people have been scammed out of thousands of dollars. The caller identifies himself by using simple names such as Kevin Peterson, Michael Johnson, Brian Cruise and John Morrison. Many times the caller has a thick accent. Some of the numbers being used in the scam include (530) 567-2511, (530) 235-6505, (214) 814-5094. Beware of these numbers and this type of call.

The IRS, State Agencies, DMV or DA offices do not call people at home and threaten arrest or revocation of licenses. The IRS will never ask for payment on a gift card from CVS.

Do not fall for these scams or these callers. They are good at what they do and collect thousands of dollars daily from scared people.

If you or someone you know gets a call similar to this, call your accountant, attorney, local IRS office or the police. Do not pay them!

Please contact your Marcum professional if you have any questions on this article. Be careful.

Marcum LLP's experience within the Healthcare industry covers the full continuum of care with a special focus within the post-acute care geriatric segments of the industry, hospitals and physician practices.

Marcum LLP is one of the largest independent public accounting and advisory services firms in the nation, with offices in major
business markets throughout the U.S., as well as Grand Cayman, China and Ireland.